Tag: Northrop P-61 Black Widow

Photo(s) of the Week; Lethality of the Black Widow

On By acarothersvlrmIn Photo(s) of the Week1 Comment

Men of the 490th Armament Section, 386th Service Group, remove ammunition from the four 50 caliber machine guns in the dorsal turret on a 548th Night Fighter Squadron Northrop P-61A Black Widow. The removed turret cover can be seen on the wing just behind the cowl flaps of the left engine.

USAAF/National Archives via Fold3

With four 50 caliber machines in the dorsal turret, and four 20 millimeter cannons in the lower fuselage, the Black Widow was the most lethal United States fighter produced during World War II. It also holds the distinction of being the first operational United States warplane specifically designed as a night fighter.

Operationally, the dorsal turret was problematic as it buffeted considerably when not in the forward position. This led ground crews to fix the four 50 caliber machine guns in place in the forward firing position. While solving the buffeting problem, it negated the true purpose of a gun turret.

Although not built in great numbers, the Black Widow served effectively as a night fighter in the European, Mediterranean, China-Burma-India, and Pacific theaters of operation. It was extremely maneuverable aircraft for its size.

On August 14, 1945, a P-61B named Lady in the Dark of 548th NFS was unofficially credited with the last aerial victory of the war.

The official caption to this photo is Men of the 490th Armament Section, 386th Service Group removing ammunition from 50 cal machine guns on a Northrop P-61 “Black Widow”. They are left to right: Sgt. John Harvatick, 1522 Myrtle Avenue, Whiting Indiana; Sgt. Allen A. Ross, 4532 North Mobile Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Sgt. Lawrence Schank, 900 East Main Street, Melville, New Jersey; and (on wing) T/Sgt. Warren A. Burr, 6887 North Overhill Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, 17 April 1945.

Decal Review: AeroMaster Decals’ 1/48 Black Widows Best Sellers Pt. 1 (48-628)

On By acarothersvlrmIn Aeromaster Decals, Decal ReviewsLeave a comment

AeroMaster produced several decals sheets featuring markings for Northrop’s P-61 Black Widow night fighter. One sheet, Black Widows Best Sellers Pt. 1 (48-628), provides markings for three 548th NFS Black Widows that were stationed on Iwo Jima.

AeroMaster Decals

As can be seen from the aircraft profiles, 548th NFS Black Widows are identified by their distinctive red spinners and cowl flaps. On this sheet, decals are provided for Midnite Madness, Cooper’s Snoopers, and The Spook/Anonymous III.

AeroMaster Decals

This decal sheet was released in 2003 and was printed by Cartograf. The artwork is really nice, and the sheet includes national insignias, squadron badges, uniform markings and stencils in addition to the plane specific nose art. The decals are in register which is what you would expect from Cartograf.

AeroMaster Decals

Midnite Madness was a P-61A-11 Black Widow (Serial No. 42-5610) flown by Captain James W. Bradford. The Radar Observer (R/O) was Lt. Lawrence K. Lunt and the Gunner-Observer was MSgt. Reno H. Sukow. Because it is difficult to determine the color of the lettering of the name from black and white photos, AeroMaster has given you three options: light blue, yellow and red. Midnite Madness was written off and salvaged after a landing accident with The Spook/Anonymous III on April 20, 1945.

Captain James W. Bradford in Midnite Madness on Iwo Jima (Jeff Kolln via Eric Shulenberger, PhD, JD)

Cooper’s Snooper was a P-61B-2 Black Widow (Serial No. 42-39454) flown by Captain George C. Cooper. The Radar Observer was 2nd Lt. Stanley S. Babst and the Gunner-Observer was SSgt. James O. Miller. Cooper’s Snooper would survive the war and end up in a boneyard at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines.

Cooper’s Snooper on Iwo Jima (Dave Weisman via Eric Shulenberger, PhD, JD)

The Spook/Anonymous III was P-61B-1 Black Widow (Serial No. 42-39405) flown by Lt. Melvin W. Bode. His Radar Observer was Lt. Avery J. Miller and the Gunner-Observer was Lt. John C. Hope. The Spook/Anonymous III was lost of April 20, 1945, when it landed in dense fog and collided with Midnite Madness. Both Black Widows were written off.

The Spook/Anonymous III on Iwo Jima (Melvin Bode/Mickey Russell via Eric Shulenberger, PhD, JD)

This decal sheet is no longer in production and is hard to find. Every once in a while it shows up on eBay. These three aircraft are also on the following AeroMaster decal sheets:

Midnite Madness – Midnight Widows Part II (48-474)

AeroMaster Decals

The Spook/Anonymous III – Midnight Widows Part III (48-475)

AeroMaster Decals

Cooper’s Snooper – Midnight Widows Part IV (48-489)

AeroMaster Decals

Again, all of these decal sheets are no longer in production and are hard to find. In subsequent posts, I will review decal sheets that contain markings for 548th NFS Black Widows from other decal manufacturers (Kits World and Print Scale) that are in production and readily available to modelers in 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/32nd scales.